He was scared but determined to find a job in the field of the art and to save face he had lost. He knew he had made a mistake to venture into the unknown, where he had no business to do so with just a little experience. All of his calls to the potential employer were turned down for the exact reasons that he was not experienced or qualified to have that job.

But as usual, God was watching over him. And at the last minute, when all his hope dashed, God blessed him with the idea that turned out to be golden in its core. He called the potential employers and offered to work for free in return for allowing him to learn on the job. He told them that he was a capable artist with an impressive portfolio in need of a break to get in the business. To his surprise, there were three who accepted his offer and granted him an in-person interview to evaluate his claims. He had arranged three appointments an hour or so apart on that to become the faithful and life-changing day.

Excited, he spent a few days before the interviews and cleverly prepared a portfolio that included all he had accomplished and his resume. He studied the techniques that would be helpful in those interviews. He carefully ironed the only suit and a white dress shirt he still had from back home – as he had no needs or extra money for new ones while working the minimal jobs he had thus far – the night before.

In the morning of the interview, he rose very early and reviewed his prepared portfolio and resume again. He put his suit and a red tie. He left an hour and a half early, knowing to be late leaves a negative impression with his interviewers – something he adhered to all through his professional life.

His first interview scheduled for 8:30 in the morning. He got into his car that by then was only two years old and left the house all anxious but joyfully excited too — not even a mile of driving when his car broke down on the road leading to his apartment. The car’s clutch had gone bad for the second time as it was replaced with a brand new one just a week earlier at the dealership as his car was still under warranty – an incredible event as it was not supposed to happen. To that fact, it never happened again in the next many years he owned the car.

He panicked. He must find a way to get to his interviews on time, or otherwise, all his hopes for a new occupation could be dashed. He had no ones who could help. His girlfriend was at her work and had not shared with him the phone number or the address as a distraction in fear of losing her new job. Taxis were too expensive, and there was no such easy thing as public transportations since distances are far and there is not much in between.

He ran back to the house, cutting through the woods and sat down.  He first had to calm his nerves down to be able to manage his time diligently. He thanked God that the car had broken down so close to the home and not miles down the road. He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes to relax to bring everything back into focus and work out a plan of action as to what to do - something they taught them in the army to do when and if they caught in the thick of a battle, so they knew what to do. He opened his eyes and picked up the phone and called the dealership first and reported the breakdown, and begged for speedy towing of the car back to the shop. Luckily, they told him that they would send out the tow truck right away. It was the best break he needed if he was going to save the day. Although the dealership was at least a half an hour away, he was hopeful and prayed to God for help.

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Footnote: There were no cell phones in those days. Only wired phones at homes or businesses and hard to find public phone booths outside of city centers.